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Outlook Mac Search not working error can prevent you from searching for all your emails, contacts, or attachments even if they’re present in your mailbox. This is a fairly common error where mailbox data fails to show up or the search result displays No Results or incomplete results. This guide will help you understand what exactly is causing this issue and then talk about some easy troubleshooting methods to fix Outlook search when it’s not working.
Why is Outlook Mac Search Not Working?
Outlook Mac Search fails when there’s syncing or indexing issues with Mac Outlook’s profile. Some common reasons behind this issue are:
- Incorrect Spotlight indexing: Spotlight is the built-in search engine of Mac, used to search and retrieve data like emails, contacts, tasks, or calendars, if and when required. If search is not working on Outlook for Mac, maybe the indexing isn’t completed, or the index is broken.
- Incorrect format of profile name: If your profile name has special characters in it, then searching for it will show No results or incomplete results.
- File is missing in Outlook’s database: If any file was lost due to unexpected shutdowns or sync issues with the Exchange Server, then it won’t show in search results.
- New mailbox isn’t indexed: If you’ve recently created a new OLM file or added a new mailbox in Outlook for Mac, it’ll take time for Spotlight to index the data. Until the indexing isn’t finished, data won’t come up in the searches.
- Spotlight privacy issue: If any Outlook profile or mailbox is saved at a private location, outside of Spotlight’s scope, then macOS won’t index it.
- Issues with New Outlook: New Outlook has a different UI and structure than the legacy version. Many users report that they face issues with the search feature in New Outlook.
Best Ways to Fix Mac Outlook Search Not Working Issue
We have explained some effective ways to fix Outlook Search when it’s not working. Let’s see the steps for each method in detail.
Method 1. Let Spotlight Finish Indexing
Spotlight takes some time to index data if any new mailbox is added or a new OLM file is imported to Outlook for Mac. During that time, Outlook Mac search may not work. Wait till indexing finishes to see if this issue still persists or not.
Method 2. Update Outlook to the Latest Version
Using Outdated version of Outlook can interfere with Outlook’s functionality and give rise to compatibility issues. Check for updates and if available, update your Outlook for Mac application to the latest version. Follow the steps to update your Outlook for Mac:
- Open Outlook for Mac on your system and click on the Help tab from the menu bar.
- Now, select Check for Updates from the list.
- Microsoft AutoUpdate utility window will open. Click on Update or Update All to install any new updates, if available.
Method 3. Check Privacy Settings of Spotlight
Maybe your Mac Outlook’s profile is added to the privacy list of Spotlight Search, which is why you can’t find it when you search for it. Here we’ve given the steps to check this easily in macOS Ventura and later versions:
- Open System Settings from the Apple Menu.
- Scroll down and choose Siri & Spotlight from the sidebar.
- Now, click on Spotlight Privacy (Search Privacy) in the bottom right side of window.
- A window will open, listing all the folders and components added to the privacy list of Spotlight Search. Check if any Outlook folders are present in that list.
- If they are, select all those folders and click on (-) icon to remove them from the list.
Method 4. Create Spotlight Index Again
If there’s an issue with Spotlight’s index and it doesn’t go away after extended periods of time, then maybe the index is corrupted. A corrupt Spotlight index can be rebuilt by the following steps:
- Go to System Settings and click on Siri & Spotlight > Spotlight Privacy.
- Click on the (+) button to add your Outlook profile to the Spotlight Privacy list.
- Wait for a moment and then remove this profile by clicking on the (-) button.
- Exit the Settings window and wait for a few minutes.
- The macOS will automatically start recreating the Spotlight Index.
- Once indexing is completed, try searching in Spotlight again.
Method 5. Remove Special Characters From Outlook’s Profile Name
Special characters like !, @, #, $, #, &, %, etc. in Outlook’s profile name can interfere with Spotlight’s indexing. Open Outlook for Mac on your system and verify once if you’ve any of the special characters in your profile name. If you do, remove the special characters, and rename your Outlook for Mac profile as per the given guideline.
Final Note
In most cases, macOS Outlook search not working error happens because of delayed Spotlight indexing. Users must know for sure what exactly is causing this issue, whether it is indexing issues, issue with Spotlight’s Privacy settings, or a problem with the OLM file itself. Usually indexing is completed within a few minutes, however, if it takes longer than usual, then maybe there’s an issue with either the index or the OLM file. In such situations, users can convert OLM files to PST format to shift mailbox data to a safe location and avoid potential data loss.
Frequently Asked Questions
A. Generally, it takes a few minutes for Spotlight indexing to finish properly. But it may take several hours to complete if the mailbox size is more than 20GB. Other factors influencing how long it takes for Spotlight indexing to complete is CPU performance and SSD/HDD. Mac systems having SSD index data much more quickly as compared to Mac systems with HDD.
A. Yes, search and indexing process can work differently in New Outlook as compared to legacy Outlook for Mac. While legacy Outlook for Mac uses Spotlight Search to index and search data, New Outlook for Mac takes the help of Cloud-based searches for data indexing.
A. Yes it does. OLM file corruption can interfere with Spotlight Search and may cause the searches to return back with No Results.
